"How to Decide" by Annie Duke

Review by Borodutch

"How to Decide" is the second book by Annie I've finished. Not going to lie; I like this one much better — maybe because of how much more practical it is. The author is trying to describe a viable and straightforward framework to make the best possible decisions with incomplete data.

Along the way, Annie describes a variety of cognitive biases that prevent us from doing well. Most notably, I liked that the author popularizes the following two concepts:

  • Luck is a crucial factor in success and failure (and humans tend to underestimate it)
  • Even having incomplete information, taking facts into account is beneficial (e.g., there is a vast difference between a blind person and a person that sees badly)

Besides these two points, the book is full of essential practical advice. I won't go over every bias and remedy that the author suggests (because I already did this multiple times, including in my book), but I highly recommend you go and read "How to Decide." You won't regret the time spent!